I Miss You
by groffcheles
Summary: [TROYPAY] One party.. old friends.. so many things left unsaid. [JOINT WITH STESSA]
1. Trailer

A/N: Heyloo. It's me Paige writing this joint fic. with my buddy, Stessa. This is just the trailer. Review if you like it!

**Cool announcer dude.**

Action.

_Talk_

xx

**Once they went to East High..**

Shows them singing "We're All in This Together".

**Then they split up..**

Shows Troy and Gabriella meeting up on the last day of high school.

_Promise to remember me?_

_Always._

**Little did everyone know what was going on with Sharpay..**

Shows Sharpay sitting on her window seat crying into her hands.

**Troy forgets Gabriella..**

Shows Troy making out with some girl.

**Sharpay tries to forget Ryan..**

Shows Sharpay gently touching a picture of her and Ryan.

**When they reunite at a reunion..**

_Troy!_

_Gabriella!_

_Sharpay!_

_Ry--_

Troy suddenly stops as he realizes Ryan isn't there.

**Secrets come out..**

_He died.._

_I didn't know._

_You didn't care._

**Relationships are formed..**

Shows Troy rubbing Sharpay's back, comfortingly.

**Others are broken..**

_You promised, Troy.._

_I'm sorry, Gabby_.

**What will happen in the end?**

Shows Troy standing at a door with flowers in his hand.

**Paige and Stessa Productions.**

**Starring..**

**Zac Efron as Troy Bolton.**

Shows Troy shooting baskets.

**Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans.**

Shows Shapry looking out he window at the stars.

**Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez.**

Shows Gabriella dancing with Troy at the reunion.

**Coming soon to Fan Fiction.**


	2. Goodbyes and Flashbacks

It was all so sad when they stood outside their school, hugging each other goodbye, and signing yearbooks. The day had finally come; (some people hadn't been able to wait, some had dreaded the moment) they were leaving East High. For good.

All of them would have to go their separate ways. Maybe they'd chat once or twice during the holidays, but people would be busy getting their stuff ready for college or what-not. They'd have no time to get together and have fun. None at all. That's what made everyone the most upset.

Sharpay watched Troy and Gabriella from a distance as they exchanged goodbyes,

she could clearly hear Gabriella's sad voice, telling Troy to always remember her.

"Always," he said, love shining through his eyes, "I'll always remember you."

She hugged him tight and told him she'd remember him as well, and Sharpay decided to shift a look towards Chad and Taylor, who were posing for pictures. Their parents were crazy, making memories of their _little_ kids, on their big last day of school. It was understandable, because it was the end of an era. People had made friends for lifetime here. Some anyway. Sharpay knew she had or.. hoped anyway. She didn't want the "ice queen" name to stick with her to collage. She was determined to start over and be a better person. Thinking about this made her smile.

Sharpay's smile grew wider when she saw Ryan coming towards her. She threw her bag on the ground and rushed into his open arms. He caught her and spun her around, while she giggled like mad. She kept right on giggling, tears now forming in her eyes. She couldn't leave these people.. They were everything to her. Ryan was the best, they shared such a bond, and she loved him with all her heart. He was the single most important person in her world, no doubt about that. She couldn't help but think about how much she'd miss Gabriella and Troy.. Oh.. Troy.. She was so upset that she may never see him again.. It broke her heart to just think about it. She had developed the biggest crush on him throughout high school, though he was always with Gabriella. From the way it looked, he'd be that way forever.

"Can you believe it?" Ryan questioned, breaking through Sharpay's thoughts, "We've graduated, we're going to collage in a month. Together though."

"I know…" Sharpay whispered, pulling him in for a hug, "It's amazing… I love you so much, Ryan."

"I love you too, Sharpay," he smiled.

"Oh, I know that…" she said, sighing a little, "Let's go say bye to Kelsi or something?"

Ryan nodded and the twins went to say goodbye to the people they were closest too. That including Kelsi, she had been the pianist for so long, so they eventually ended up friends. They said goodbye to Troy and Gabriella too, sharing hugs and tears, and then the same went for Chad and Taylor.

**xoxo**

Later that day, after saying all their goodbyes, Sharpay sat on a small couch right at her window while Ryan was in his own room getting started on packing for collage.. already. She heard a few groans coming from her brother's room and giggled. She knew this was stressing him out, so Sharpay just tried to relax. After digging through her closet for a while, she came across the box she was looking for. Sharpay grinned as she pulled out the old dusty cardboard box and gently placed it on her bed. She unfolded the top flaps and peeked inside. Right on the top was the picture she was looking for. It was of Troy and her, their first year of East High, before Gabriella arrived, their arms were wrapped tightly around each other and they looked as if they didn't want to let go. Sharpay let a tear slide down her cheek as she let the thought enter her head that she may never see Troy Bolton again. Ever.

"I love you, Troy," she whispered, right as Ryan entered her room. She didn't notice him so when he walked overbehind her and spoke, she was startled.

"I remember that day.." Ryan said.

After the shock wore off, Sharpay responded. "I'll never forget it."

FLASHBACK.

_Troy and Sharpay._

_When people heard the names together, they thought 'best friends.. forever'. Little did they imagine they'd become so much more._

_It was their first day of East High. The friends were excited to be able to get through it together._

_"Are you nervous, Troy?" the small blond asked._

_"I'm never nervous!" he replied confidently with a grin. A twelfth grader bumped into him and the gin vanished. "Okay.. maybe I am a little scared." Sharpay grinned. At least she wasn't the only one._

_"Hey, Sharpay?" Troy asked, playing with his own hands._

_"Yeah, Troy?" she asked, looking up into his deep blue eyes._

_"Will you.. will you be my girl friend?" he asked and looked down at her waiting for a reaction. Sharpay threw her arms around him and replied, "Of course!" They both had bright smiles on their faces and barely noticed Ryan standing behind them snapping a picture._

END FLASHBACK

"I miss those days.." Sharpay said, letting another tear fall. Ryan wiped it away softly with his thumb.

"Me too.. But we'll have each other.. Forever.." he said smiling at his little sister.

"Promise?" she asked, eyes glistening.

"Promise," he replied. Little did they know, forever is shorter than it used to be..

A/N: Like it? Please review.

It'd make me happy. And I'm sure it'd make Stessa happy as well. :


	3. The Aftermath

**A/N (Paige): Thanks for the reviews, guys. You rock! This chapter is set in**

**the future. More details as you read.**

Chapter Two

Dear Diary,

College. What to say about this past year.. It has been.. very complicated. Every night I sit here and look out my window in my dorm. Every night my roommate asks if I'm okay. I simply smile and nod. Truth is, I'm not okay. Ever since I started college, I haven't been okay. I was supposed to go through this experience with Ryan. He promised me. He promised to always be by my side. Sometimes, I feel as though he still is with me. It's hard to let go of someone who once was so close to you. To me, Ryan's not.. dead. Yeah, I went to his funeral. Of course I saw his lifeless body in the coffin, but he's still here. I see him. Every night in my dreams he talks to me. He makes sur everything is okay and that I'm not hurting too much. I think I am hurting too much. First, I have to say good bye to Troy.. Oh, Troy. My first love. I'll never forget him. His smile, his blue eyes.. I wonder where he is now.  
-switch to Sharpay's life outside of her diary-  
"Shar, you've got mail!" Her room mate, May, came bouncing into their dorm and Sharpay slammed her diary shut.  
"Who's it from?" Sharpay asked, curiously.  
"East High?... That's an odd name." Sharpay giggled.  
"It's my old school," she explained and took the envelope from May.  
Sharpay slid her manicured fingertip under the flap of the envelope and pulled out a letter written on red and white stationary, her school's old colors. It read;

Dear Sharpay Evans,

You are invited to a night of celebration and old friendships!

What: High school reunion.

Why: To remember old friends and relationships

When: Saturday, February 11th

Where: East High gym

Who: Everyone in the graduating class.

Hope to see you there!

-insert principal's messy signature here-

-Switch back to Sharpay's diary-

Well, I just got a letter. It was an invitation to my high school reunion Maybe I'll get to see Troy. I wonder if he's still with that Gabriella girl.. Wait. Maybe I shouldn't go. Can I really handle a night with old friends without my twin? Everyone will ask about him, I know it. But I can't miss out on a chance to see Troy. He must look so handsome now. That's it. I'm going dress shopping.

Toodles!

Sharpay X3

--

Troy stepped out of the shower, realizing he was the only one left in th changing room. His team-mates had probably already gone off to wherever they had to be, so he could just get dressed by himself. He dried himself off andhopped into his sweatpants and t-shirt. He packed his things together, his ball, his dirty clothes and his water bottle, before heading out of the changing room, through the gymnasium and into the hall.  
He was met by Tanya, one of the cheerleaders, who gave him a big bear hug,

"Hi Troy!" she giggled, placing a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"Uhm, hi." Troy smiled, lifted his shoulder, to rub his chin off against it, which luckily, the girl didn't see, "What's up?"

"Not much," she replied, walking along with him, trying her best to get his attention.

Troy didn't reply back, but eyed the way she moved. They used to go out. A couple of months ago, for like, two weeks. She wasn't really special, just another girl in the long line of girlfriends he'd had while being in collage. He went out with them, and broke it off with a snap of the fingers.

She waved bye to him when he passed her dorm, and he continued to his own. He walked into his room, throwing his bag by the door. He looked up, to come face to face with Andrea, his newest girlfriend. He shot her a huge smile, she was lying across his bed, and he could tell she had been waiting for awhile.

"Sorry, I needed a long shower, babe." Troy replied, sitting down by her.

"It's okay…" Andrea replied, cocking an eyebrow, "The mail got here. You have a very fancy letter waiting for you on the table."

He stood up and went across the room, picking up the letter. He recognized the colors immediately, it could only be from one place. "Wow," he mused.

"What is it?" Andrea asked, standing up as well, to be able to look at the letter.

"It's from my high school." Troy replied.

"Open it."

He nodded and ripped the envelope open, taking out the letter. His eyes scanned through the lines, his heart beating faster. Oh. He was going to a high school reunion. That was so tight! He was gonna see everyone again…  
Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Taylor… and CHAD!

'Wonder what he has been up to?' Troy thought to himself.

"Was is it, babe?" Andrea whispered, sliding her hands across his shoulders.

"High school reunion." Troy replied, "On February 11."

"So? Are you gonna go?" Andrea questioned.

"Yes, y'know," Troy begun, placing the letter on the table, as he turned to look at his girlfriend, "Of course. I was the most popular guy, I have to be there…"

"Oh, so you were the most popular guy?" Andrea questioned, "I bet you had a lot of girls running after you…"

"Oh," Troy whispered, moving his face closer to hers, "Just a few, you know…"

She giggled and leaned in, placing her lips on his. He kissed back, sliding his tongue into her mouth. He already knew where this was going…

--

Gabriella Montez. Ever since she was little, you heard her name and you thought "smart". Even now, in college, she was the smartest girl on campus. Most of Gabriella's time was spent either studying or helping her room mate. For Gabby, it wasn't hard having a... slow room mate. It was fun. Lilly was always an adventure, a change of pace.

"Gabs!" Lilly called cheerfully. Lilly always had a way of lighting up a room as she walked in. She was full of pep, and Gabriella loved her for that. Gabby needed some excitement in her life. Ever since she had to leave East High and Troy... She hadn't been the same. All the hard work and her new friend helped her forget him... A little.

"Earth to Gabby?" Lilly asked, after Gabriella had ignored her.

"What? Sorry. I was just..." Gabriella stopped when she caught sight of the envelope in Lilly's hand.

"Hey Lils.. can I see that?" she asked pointing to the envelope in her friend's hand.

"Sure.. I was just going to throw it out anyway. We always get junk mail here." Lilly shrugged and tossed the envelope to Gabriella. Gabby giggled and shook her head. She slid her nail under the flap and was confirmed by the stationary who it was from.

"East... High?" she asked more to herself than anyone else. She couldn't believe her luck. Getting to see Troy once again. After scanning the invitation Gabriella smiled.

"What's that?" Lilly asked, tilting her head to the side.

"My high school. There's a reunion coming up," Gabby said. She placed the invitation on her neat and tidy desk under a paper weight.

"Well we need to get you something to wear, don't we?" Gabriella looked down at her outfit. A teal skirt paired with a white clingy tank top. Tanks and skirts were about all Gabriella wore now.

"Uhm.. yeah," Gabriella said, smiling at her friend.

"Let's go then!" Lilly exclaimed. She grabbed their purses and ran out the door.

**A/N: (Paige, again) Well, there's our second chapter. Review, please. It makes us happy.**


	4. Reunited and it feels so bad

**A/N: Hi (Stessa here, lol) thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot to the both of us! **

Chapter 3

Sharpay made her way into the big gymnasium, where the reunion was being held. She had gotten to Albuquerque safely, and was staying at a hotel. She could have stayed with her parents, but she didn't want to go back to the house that held so many memories of Ryan.

She had found the perfect dress. It was simple, but fit her very well. It highlighted her good features and covered her bad ones. What more could a girl want, you know? Her hair was straightened as it used to be in high school, and her makeup was perfect. She was ready to face all her old class mates.

But she was scared. Beyond scared. She had to go there without Ryan and since he died, she'd hadn't been confident in all areas except acting. She couldn't even get herself to ask out a guy anymore, it was quite terrifying, when she remembered how she used to be in high school.

She made her way to a table, sitting down on a chair, watching as the gym filled up with people she couldn't even remember. Only a few faces stood out here and there. She recognized Kelsi as she made her way into the gym, her hand linked with some unknown guy's. Her hair was short, but she still had those round glasses and a weird hat on top of her head. It was funny. Sharpay always believed, that Ryan and Kelsi would have made a cute couple, but Kelsi only had eyes for Jason back then.

Sharpay took a glass of Champaign from a tray that one of the waiters carried. She was absolutely positively going to get herself drunk tonight so she wouldn't have to deal with too many people. If she was drunk, they wouldn't speak to her, and she would end up falling asleep, or going home early to get some sleep in her small hotel room.

Her eyes went wide, as a pair of blue eyes linked with hers. Oh God. Oh no. That wasn't true. Why was HE there? Why didn't he come? Wasn't he busy somewhere? This couldn't be true! He wasn't supposed to be there! Though she wished to see him, she dreaded it too! Oh God. Oh no. Repeat. Oh God. Oh no. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

She hit her across the forehead and looked away, hoping he hadn't seen her. The same sentence kept going over and over in her head. No, no, no, no! He wasn't there! It couldn't be true!

She placed her drink on the table, and stood up, making her way across the room. She regretted coming here. She wanted to go now, before she came face to face with one of them. She was stopped by some one touching her arm, and she turned to find Zeke.

They chatted for a few seconds, and she told him they had to keep in touch, though she really didn't mean it. Then she turned around, ready to get the hell out of there, but she crashed right into a girl, who stumbled backwards into a guy, dragging Sharpay with her by the hand.

They landed in a heap on the floor, and they all quickly got up, dusting themselves off. When Sharpay looked up, she froze. It was Troy and Gabriella. Troy's mouth went wide, as he realized the same.

"Troy!" Gabriella smiled.

"Gabriella!" Sharpay greeted, seeing the brown beauty.

"Sharpay!" Troy cheered, opening his arms.

"Ry- -" Gabriella stopped, her voice faded out. She squeezed her eyebrows together, confused. She had expected Ryan to be there with Sharpay. After all, where his sister went, Ryan went too. Why wasn't he there.

Both Troy and Gabriella's eyes shifted towards her, and her breath got caught in her throat. She looked from one to the other, lowered her head, and brushed through them, and right out of the gym.

Sharpay stopped running when she found a bench outside of her school. She remembered this place. It was where she always used to go when she needed to think. There was never anyone there.. It was kind of hidden behind a tree.

Sharpay looked up in the sky and sighed. She could feel tears violently pushing at the backs of her eyes. Maybe she was right in the first place. It definitely wasn't easy to be here without Ryan. No one knew. She'd have to explain it to everyone.

Meanwhile, Gabriella looked at Troy oddly. "What just happened?" she asked. Troy shrugged.

"I'm going to go look for her," he said. With that, Troy ran off in the same direction that Sharpay had.

Once he found her, Sharpay's head was in her hands and her high heels were kicked off the the side.

"Pay... Are you okay? What happened back there?" Troy asked, using the nickname he had for her a long time ago. Even before high school. Sharpay looked up at his blue eyes and back down at the ground. She shook her head, signaling that she didn't want to talk about it. 'Why is he here?' she asked herself. 'Doesn't he know he's making everything worse?'

"Well I'll be here when you're ready to tell me," Troy said. He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around here. 'Why does he care all of a sudden? He used to hate me..' Sharpay told herself silently. She nodded and buried her head in his shirt. Sharpay let herself cry.

When it seemed that all the tears had drained from her, Sharpay looked up at Troy. "Sorry about getting your shirt wet," she said, quietly.

"It's fine. Really," Troy said, looking down at the wet spot on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" Sharpay nodded. "Okay. Let's start with this question... Why isn't Ryan here?" Troy could've guessed the answer, but every time he thought about it, his heart tore. Sharpay and Ryan were so close in high school. He couldn't imagine how that must hurt.

"He died," Sharpay answered suddenly. Troy sat there with a shocked look in his eyes.

"I didn't know..."

"You wouldn't have cared even if I told you. You never liked me, Troy." Sharpay let another couple of tears fall, but Troy wiped them away.

"Of course I cared!"

"Oh. So that's why you called me an ice queen with all of your friends?" Sharpay sneered.

"I... I..." Troy stuttered. What she said was true... he couldn't deny that. "I was stupid." His voice lowered. Sharpay simply nodded. Troy smiled.

"It'll all be alright, Pay. I'll be here for you. Only a phone call away." Troy handed her a small piece of paper with his number on it. Sharpay smiled and slid the tiny paper in her purse. She cautiously wrapped her arms around Troy and he hugged her back.

"TROY BOLTON WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" a voice called. It was Gabriella. She had seen them.

**A/N: Tis me. Paige. How did you like it? Press the little "go" button down at the bottom of the page and tell us... please?**


	5. The Betrayal

**A/N: To our reviewers, you guys seriously rock! We love you! Kay. Now. Chapter 4...**

Chapter Four

Sharpay and Troy pulled away from each other in shock. They both turned to face the angry Gabriella.

"Gabby! I..." Troy started.

"Save it Troy! You're just a lying backstabbing jerk!" Gabriella said. As she got closer, Sharpay noticed tear stains on her cheeks.

"It's like East High all over again..." she said softly to herself.

"You don't understand," Troy said to Gabriella, lowering his voice a little.

"I don't care either. You promised me you'd remember me. You promised we'd pick up where we left off." Gabriella began to cry softly once again. Troy pulled her into his arms and Gabriella began to struggle. Sharpay sat there, watching them. She didn't say or do anything. She knew they had to work this out themselves.

After a while, Gabriella stopped fighting and with a sigh, she collapsed into Troy's strong arms. He had grown a lot since everyone had last sen him. The only things that didn't change were his deep blue eyes and his shaggy brown hair. Gabriella let out a few more strangled sobs and looked Troy in the eyes.

"Do you care about me anymore?" she asked him. Troy wiped away the remains of her tears. "Tell the truth. I can handle it." Gabriella nodded and looked down at her hands after pulling away from her old love interest. Troy took a deep breath before speaking.

"I truthfully don't know anymore, Gabby. So many things have changed between us, I'm not sure if I can go back." Both Sharpay and Gabriella were listening intently. Gabby nodded, sadly.

"Okay. I.. I understand. But then, why did you make that promise to me?"

"I loved you, Gabriella. You were my first true love. Things haven't been easy ever since we split up, but I think that's because I knew we were still together."

"You're saying you think we should break up, right?" Gabriella asked, with the same hint of sadness in her voice as she had had 6 years ago when she found out he didn't want to sing with her.

"I think it'd be better, yes," Troy said, wiping away one last tear that had fallen from Gabriella's eye.

"But I still don't understand why you were hugging Sharpay..." she said, fiddling with her silver locket that hung around her neck.

"I think she should explain that to you," Troy replied, turning her to face Sharpay. Sharpay looked up from her nails that she was filing and tilted her head.

"What?" she asked, wondering why they were looking at her. Troy smiled and shook his head.

"Same old Sharpay," he said. Sharpay shrugged and smiled as well. Gabriella walked over to the bench and sat next to Sharpay.

"I'm going to go get something to drink if you girls don't mind," Troy said. Gabriella and Sharpay nodded and Gabriella made a shooing motion with her hand. Troy laughed and walked inside to the party.

"Now," Gabriella said and Sharpay turned to face her. "Why isn't Ryan here?" After answering this question once, it became a little easier.

"He died. Last year," Sharpay said, tears formed in the corners of her eyes but she rubbed them away.

"I'm so sorry, Shar..." Gabriella said. She reached to give Sharpay a hug, but she swatted Gabby's hand away.

"Don't call me that!" Sharpay yelled, tears now freely falling. Her voice softened as she noticed the shocked look on Gabriella's face. "I'm sorry it's just... That's what Ry... my brother called me."

"Oh, Sharpay... I didn't mean..." Sharpay could see the hurt in Gabriella's eyes and she nodded.

"It's okay. Just don't do it again." She smiled softly and wiped away the rest of her tears.

"What do you say we go back inside and party?" Gabriella asked, holding Sharpay's hand.

"That'd be good," Sharpay replied with a nod. They stood up and headed back inside.

They decided to go talk to some of their old friends, and people they were close with, so they parted ways. Gabriella went to talk to Taylor and some people from the Scholastic Decathlon team, and Sharpay went to find some drama people, especially Kelsi. She was dying to see who the hottie was that she had arrived with. It couldn't be one from their school, otherwise Sharpay would have remembered him. She remembered all the hotties.

She grabbed some punch, and searched around the dance floor, for the short pianist. She found her sitting by a table with the guy, and Sharpay sat down in front of her, started with a simple; "Hi?"

"Sharpay!?" Kelsi exclaimed, her jaw hitting the floor, "Oh my God! I hadn't expected to see you here! I thought you were too big for school reunions."

"I haven't gotten a break yet, but in 5 years I will be." Sharpay replied, taking up her icy act from school again. she used to be such a diva, and honestly, she hated herself for it now, when she looked back, "So? How have you been, good, I see?"

Kelsi blushed slightly, and wrapped an arm around her guy, "Yeah, this is Pete, we're going out. Everything has been great. What about you? I suspect you and Ryan went off to some collage majoring in drama or something?"

"Uhm," Sharpay looked down at the table and swallowed hard, "Yeah, sorta. I did anyway."

"Where is Ryan?" Kelsi questioned, looking around the gym, "I haven't seen him here today."

"He's not here." Sharpay replied, shrugging softly.

"Oh…" Kelsi replied, looking into her eyes, "Why not?"

"He died."

"What!?" Kelsi exclaimed, shock showing in her eyes. She also managed, to push herself back from the table by her hands, so the chair turned over, and she landed on the floor with a loud thump.

Sharpay immediately stood up, looking across the table, to the small girl on the floor. Pete stood up as well, helping his girlfriend up, who was now the center of all attention.

"He died!?" Kelsi yelled, looking at Sharpay, really angry, "How come I wasn't invited to the funeral? I loved Ryan, we were buddies!"

"Calm down, Kelsi.." Sharpay said, biting her lip, because whispers started running through the crowd about Ryan's death. "We weren't exactly the most loved people here at East High, so I figured you guys wouldn't care. It was just a small service."

"Wouldn't care!?" Kelsi exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air, in a manner that reminded Sharpay of herself back then, "How could we not care?"

Sharpay felt a hand on her arm, and she turned to find Taylor shooting her a sad smile, "Sharpay, are you okay? How long ago was this? I mean, you and Ryan was practically joined by the hip, so it's okay if you're not feeling well, do you need to talk?"

"I'm okay…" Sharpay said, smiling at her, "Thanks for the offer though, but I already talked to Troy and Gabriella tonight, I don't think I can handle more talking. If you can please just not mention Ryan anywhere near me, that would be appreciated."

"Of course," Taylor said, giving her a brief hug, "Of course."

--

Sharpay tapped her foot against the floor, playing with the glass in her hand. She was so bored, there was nothing to do. She had been catching up with people in the beginning of the evening, but now everything was like.. boring. She just sat there on a chair, looking at all the old couples, dancing for the hell of it. Some dancing with their partners they brought along, others dancing with old friends and crushes. She just sat there though, since the only person whom she really was with during high school had been Ryan. Had he still been alive, she would have been dancing the night away with him.

She leaned back in the chair, almost closing her eyes, tempting over if it was okay to go home already. It was not like anyone was going to miss her. She should just leave.

"Care to dance?"

She opened her eyes, and came face to face with none other than Troy Bolton himself. She cocked an eyebrow, letting out a deep breath, "Sure, why not?"

Troy held out his hand, for her to take, "Great then."

She took it, and he dragged her onto the dance floor, just as a slow song was coming on. He placed his hand on her hip, and she gently put hers on his shoulder. He held her close, swaying to the beat of the song.

"How come you waited until now to ask me to dance?" Sharpay asked, "I was really close at leaving."

"Chad told me this was the 'old crushes' dance." Troy replied, shooting her a charming smile, "So I felt obligated to ask you."

"There's not such thing as 'old crushes' dances." Sharpay said, "But I am flattered though, it's a good thing I had a crush on you too then."

"Maybe," Troy whispered, his breath tingling in her ear.

She let out a deep sigh and placed her head on his chest, still swaying to the beat, wishing the song would go on and on forever. He still had an effect on her like no other, and she didn't know why. It was a nice dance though, she kinda forgot about everything as it was. She knew it would have been so much better if Ryan had been there with her at the reunion, but Troy Bolton somehow made it okay.

A/N – (Stessa, lol) there you have it folks. Please leave us a review. It's not like these chapters come out of nowhere, it would be nice if you gave us your thoughts.


	6. Goodbyes Aren't Forever

**A/N (Stessa here) Thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot to us. **

Chapter 5

The rest of the evening was great, and soon it was time for goodbyes. Sharply actually didn't want to say goodbye now. She wanted to stay and dance with Troy all evening, but of course she couldn't. She had school. And so had he, of what she knew.

The stood outside the school, hugging old friends and classmates, saying goodbye, and promising each other to meet up soon, or in 10 years. Everybody wanted to keep in touch, but that was also what they'd said those years ago, the first time they said goodbye. And Sharpay knew people wouldn't keep their promises.

"We have to keep in touch, Kelsi." Sharpay said, handing her her cell phone, "Save your number in there, then we can message each other and have late night talks. You can whine about your boyfriend, and I can whine about the fact that I don't have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, okay," Kelsi mumbled, taking Sharpay's phone, and giving Sharpay her own, "Same goes for you, Sharpay. And really.. I'm sorry about freaking out about the whole Ryan-issue. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"It's okay, you didn't know." Sharpay smiled, saving her number in Kelsi's phone, handing it back to her, just as she got her own back too, "But I'll talk to you, I guess… Bye." She leaned in for an awkward hug, but Kelsi didn't seem to mind. They parted with a smile, and Sharply turned to Taylor and Chad.

"Bye, Sharpay," Taylor said, wrapping her arms around the petite blond, "Take care, okay?"

"You too," Sharpay mumbled, "And you also Chad."

"Don't worry, I take care of him," Taylor giggled, as she grabbed Chad's hand, and dragged him away.

Sharpay went to say bye to Gabriella, which went okay, though they weren't the best of friends. After that she turned around, wanting to search the crowd for Troy. She dreaded saying goodbye to the guy. He meant so much to her, and he had really made her feel better. She didn't have to search too long, because he was right behind her, apparently waiting for her to turn around and say goodbye.

"Sharpay…" he whispered, pulling her in for a deep hug, "I can't believe you're heading back already tomorrow, you can't leave me here. I'm staying in my house for some time. I'm gonna miss you too much."

"Hey, I have collage." Sharpay whispered, still in a his tight embrace.

"Well, so do I, but I'm staying here for some time." Troy told her, it wasn't like Andrea was going to miss him. She was just another fling for him, he didn't even like her that much, "I can't let you go back to be sad by yourself."

"But I have to…" Sharpay said, pulling back from him, so their faces were inches apart, "It's my education we're talking about, you know? I can't just drop out."

"You're not even happy there anyway," Troy told her, arching his eyebrow, "It wouldn't hurt to stay here with me for awhile, now would it?"

"What would I be doing here?" Sharpay questioned, grabbed around his shoulder tighter.

"Being with me…" Troy whispered, pulling her in, placing his lips on hers for a soft kiss. She was kinda startled for a second, stiff, but then she relaxed, as his hands rubbed her skin softly, and his tongue parted her lips. He pulled back a second later, placing his forehead against hers, "See? You could be with me."

"I don't want to leave you, Troy." Sharpay said, hugging his body close again, "You're the only one who has managed to cheer me up. Please keep doing that, can you?"

"Yes, if you stay with me." Troy laughed, hugging her back.

"But... but I don't have anything to wear," Sharpay said. Troy laughed. Clothes were always the first thing on Sharpay's mind.

"I have a bunch of old clothes..." Sharpay cut him off

"Pack rat," she coughed and smiled. They broke the hug, but still had their arms wrapped around each other.

"Maybe..." Troy gave a pout and Sharpay giggled. "But anyway, like I was saying, you can just wear some of my old clothes."

"I doubt you have girl's clothes."

"We can go... shopping then." Troy cringed. Girls were always obsessive when it came to buying clothes.

"Yay!" Sharpay said, as if she was a little 5 year old.

"Does that mean you'll come with me?" Troy asked hopefully.

"Only if you'll take me shopping." Sharpay smiled.

"Deal," he said, and they separated. Since they had already said good byes to everyone that mattered, they took each other's hands in their own and walked out the door.

**In the parking lot...**

"This one's my car," Troy said, taking Sharpay over to an old Mustang.

"Lovely," she said with a smirk. "But I do have my car here, too, you know."

"Oh yeah..." Troy bit his lip. "Well do you know how to get to my house? Of course you don't. You've never been there before! Stupid Troy." He hit himself on the head.

Sharpay giggled."You're right. I dunno where it is." She shrugged.

"How about I take you to my house and you can stay there while I come back to get your car?"

"Kay," Sharpay smiled. She opened the door and sat down in the passenger's seat. Troy hopped into the driver's seat and they both put on their seat belts. As Troy began to drive, Sharpay got sick of the silence. She pushed a button and music blared through the speakers. She quickly turned down the volume.

"Someone likes their music loud," she commented and Troy nodded. The DJ interrupted their conversation.

"Here's 'So Much For You' by Ashley Tisdale."

"Oooh!" Sharpay exclaimed. "I love this song!" She turned up the volume and sang a long with the song.

"If ya got the time I'll take it If ya got the vibe we'll make it I'll do that I'll do that If you wanna dance let's move it If you wanna play let's play it I'll do that I'll do that And I get on up And I get on down And I play the fool when I act the clown You know that I'd do anything for you." Troy laughed as Sharpay bobbed her head along to the music.

"So much for youuuu..." he sang along. He sounded badly on purpose, just to annoy Sharpay.

"You're such a horrible singer," Sharply said with a smile. She turned down the music a little so they could talk.

"Oh like you're good."

"Actually," Sharpay smiled. "I'm great." Troy shook his and but smiled.

"Whatever you say, Pay." Sharpay shivered. Whenever Troy called her Pay, it brought back memories. Times when they were together. When Ryan was there... When life was easy.

"What's the matter?" Troy asked, noticing a tear fall down her cheek.

"Just remembering... old times..." she replied, looking down. Troy nodded.

"Well, we're here," Troy said, pulling into his driveway. He got out of the car and opened Sharpay's door for her. She stepped out and smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said. Troy grinned. He walked up his front steps and opened the door for Sharpay.

"I'll be right back. Okay, Pay?" Sharpay nodded. She wrapped her arms around him and tried not to break down right there. She was able to hold in tears. For now.

"Bye," she said softly, after pulling away.

"Bye," Troy said. Sharpay stepped inside and Troy closed the door behind her. Sharpay looked around Troy's house. It seemed she had been dropped off in the living room. She took a seat on the couch and her eyes drifted closed. Before she knew it, she was sound asleep.

**A/N: Paige, here. I just want to let you know, both of us are disappointed about the number of reviews. We know you guys can do better than that. So show us love and review, please. : )**


	7. He'll Always Be In Your Heart

**A/N: It's Paige. Hi. I love you reviewers. You make my day wonderful : ). Here's the chapter. Oh, and the italics in the beginning are Sharpay's dream.**

Chapter Six

_Sharpay walked along a path, leaves crumpling beneath her feet, her brother standing right next to her. It seemed to be the perfect day. Ryan pulled his baby sister into a hug and grinned. "I love you, Shar," he said as he loosened his grasp._

"_Love you too, Ry," Sharpay said with a smile. All of a sudden, she felt alone. Ryan's arms had let go of her and he was slowly disappearing into thin air. "Ryan! Ryan!" Sharpay called. She tried to reach out for him, but he was gone. Gone forever. Sharpay stopped for a moment and listened to the wind. She could almost hear him._

"_Sharpay... Sharpay..."_

"Sharpay," Troy called softly, shaking the petite blond gently.

"What?" Sharpay called, sitting up quickly. She brought a hand to her face and knew she had been crying. Her cheeks were wet and sticky. Noticing Troy sitting beside her on the floor, Sharpay burst back out into tears. Through chocked sobs she asked, "What happened?"

"Shh... sh... it's okay..." Troy said, rubbing her back, soothingly. "You had a nightmare. But it's all better now. You're awake. I'm here."

"Ryan's not," Sharpay said, tears stopping suddenly. Troy frowned.

"That's what your nightmare was about. Wasn't it?" he asked, looking into her eyes. Sharpay simply nodded.

"It's just that... he's gone, Troy. Gone forever. I'll never see him again. I miss him." That was the first time Sharpay had told someone how she really felt. She hadn't been able to face it. Until now.

"I know, Pay. But we'll work though this. I promise," Troy said, leaning in to rub her back again. Sharpay hastily pushed him away. Troy removed his arms with a confused look on his face.

"You don't understand!" Sharpay said, voice raising. "I've been trying to work through this for quite some time now. Nothing helps! I need him!" She ran up the stairs closest to her and into the room she guessed was Troy's. Sharpay threw herself into his bed and buried her head into his pillow. She loved the way it smelled like Troy, and that calmed her tears a little.

Troy had followed her up the stairs and into his room. He watched her in his bed and couldn't help but let tears fall down his face. He couldn't stand to see anyone like this. Especially Sharpay. He wanted so badly to just hold her. To make all her fears go away with one simple kiss, but he knew it was out of his power. He knew he should probably let her be, but he couldn't help he. Slowly, he walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge. "Pay?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh, Troy," Sharpay said, shaking her head. She buried her head into his neck and sighed. Her tears had stopped and only sadness was left. "I just don't want to let him go." Troy nodded and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't worry, he'll never leave you." Troy whispered, hugging her tight, "He'll always be with you and look out for you, Sharpay. I know Ryan loved you very much, don't doubt that." he kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes. He could see tears around her eyelashes, but she looked so beautiful, "I'm so about all this. If I had known, I would have been there in a heartbeat."

"Thanks, Troy…" Sharpay said, "You're so sweet to me. I love you."

"I love you too." Troy replied, pulling her to him again, in for a hug. But Sharpay had other plans, she placed a soft kiss on his lips, before moving her head to the crook of his neck, sniffing in the sweet scent of his cologne mixed with is natural scent. "What do you say I take you out tonight?" Troy whispered, burying his nose in her blonde locks, "For dinner?"

"I'd love that."

--

Sharpay had dressed up the best she could. She was wearing the dress from the reunion, since she hadn't brought more than one fancy dress with her, but she knew she looked good in it, so it didn't really matter. Her hair was in a side ponytail, which was resting gently on her right shoulder. She had a little makeup on, and she believed she looked good. She went downstairs to find Troy waiting in his living room. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, taking in the way she looked. He couldn't help but gulp. She looked amazing.

They drove to a fancy Italian restaurant, where they had some special spaghetti, while they talked and had fun. Sharpay was in a much better mood than when she woke up after that dream about Ryan. Troy really helped cheer her up, and she was grateful for that. She really did love him, and she suspected that maybe they could be something more, but until now he hadn't questioned the kiss earlier. She knew it would come later, though.

After dinner they took a walk in the park. Sharpay remembered how she and Ryan used to ran around and play on the playground when they were kids. It wasn't a bad memory, it was very nice to think about the good times.

She remembered when Ryan broke his arm at the age of 7. They had been playing on the swings, and they jumped off, to see who could jump the furthest. Ryan landed on the ground first, but two seconds later, Sharpay herself had come flying his way and landed with a thump on top of his arm. It broke in two places. Sharpay smiled sadly at the memory. Ryan hadn't even been mad at her, he said it was an accident, and that it wasn't her fault. She was guilty though, but she helped him home, and they dad drove Ryan to the hospital, while Sharpay stayed home with their mom, even though she wanted to go with him and make sure she was okay.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked, "I mean.. I know it is a dumb question, but do you feel better now?"

"Yeah," Sharpay said, slipping her hand into his, "You make me feel better. I can forget Ryan for a couple of hours when I'm with you. I can forget the pain. I'll always remember him, but I guess you make it all better somehow. Thanks, Troy."

"My pleasure." Troy replied, "I hate to see you sad. I'll do anything to make you feel alright."

"Walking here with you now is just fine." Sharpay told him, smiling brightly up at him, love shining in her eyes. Troy stopped up, and turned to her, taking her head in his hands, his fingers stroking her cheek. He smiled softly at her, and leaned down, their lips touching. But this time it didn't end immediately like earlier, their lips kept brushing against each other, and Sharpay eventually slid her arms around his neck. All other things were forgotten. Sharpay forgot all the pain about Ryan's death, she forgot the college she didn't even want to be at anymore, because Ryan wasn't there, she forget her freakishly happy roommate, May. She didn't want to perform any longer, she just wanted to stay here in Albuquerque and be with Troy if that was possible. Troy forgot about his college too. He did want to play basketball, but you could do that anywhere. He forgot about his million different girlfriends, and his new friends. Her forget about his latest catch Andrea, he didn't even like her that much to begin with. He just wanted to have Sharpay, and make her feel better. Even if that meant he had to give up on college too.

Sharpay pulled away with a smile on her face, "Thanks Troy… You make it all worth it."

"I love you, Sharpay," Troy said, "Will you be my girlfriend?" "I'd love to!"

**A/N – Stessa here! I love your reviews as well. We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter should be up as soon as possible! Remember to review again, it means the world to us authors.** **Side note from Paige: **Who has heard the song "I Don't Dance" from HSM2? I ADORE IT! If you haven't listened to it, you should. Plus, 20 second clips of each song on the soundtrack are available. I'm practically jumping out of my seat because I can't wait for it! Kay. I'm done. : )


	8. An Unexpected Call

**A/N: Paige here. You already know we're thankful for the reviews, so I'm not sure why I keep telling you this but, thanks to our reviewers! You still rock:)**

Chapter Seven

Sharpay and Troy was just hanging around in his living room, watching TV and eating pizza a couple of days later, when suddenly Sharpay's phone started to ring. She turned around to find it on the coffee table, and was really surprised to find 'home' flashing across the screen. 'Home' meant where she grew up. Alias her mom and dad.

She was a bit hesitant as she picked the pink cell phone up. She wondered if her parents had figured out she was in Albuquerque. If they had called her dorm or May they would know. She knew she couldn't not pick up, so she threw Troy a quick smile and went into the kitchen for some privacy.

"Hi?"

"Sharpay?" it was her mom, "Sharpay honey, is that you?"

"Yes mom, it's me." Sharpay sighed, jumping onto the counter, "What do you want?"

"Well," her mom said, as a matter of factly, "I just called May, because I wanted to thank her for the lovely flowers she sent me for my birthday, and then she revealed that you're back here in New Mexico! Why haven't you called or visited?"

"I've been busy." Sharpay replied, studying her nails, "And I doubt I'll be going back to college, I feel home where I am right now."

"And where are you?"

"At Troy Bolton's." Sharpay said, "Remember him? My ex-boyfriend? Well, anyway, I felt so alone at college without Ry, and Troy has made me feel a whole lot better, so this is where I am for now."

"That's okay." Her mom said, "But I would have appreciated it if you would have told us, Sharpay! You and Troy can come for dinner soon! How about tonight?"

"Mom…" Sharpay said, biting her lip, "Why don't you just tell me what you really want, instead of beating around the bush? I know you would have never been okay with this unless you wanted to be on my good side. What do you want?"

Her mother let out a deep sigh, "Ah, yeah… we're selling the house."

"THE HOUSE!?" Sharpay shrieked, which caused Troy to come rushing into kitchen, questions in his eyes, "Why are you selling the house?"

"We don't need all this space, Sharpay." Her mom said, "And it's not like you ever visit us. You need to clear out your old room, and Ryan's too."

"No way." Sharpay quickly said, tapping her nails against the counter.

"We're selling it whether or not you like it, honey."

"That's not what I meant." Sharpay just said, "I'm not cleaning out Ryan's room. That's too painful."

"We certainly can't do it either!" her mother said, "Don't you think you can do this for us, Sharpay? I really can't face all that, and I know Ryan would have wanted you to do it. You two were so close."

"I guess so…" Sharpay sighed, feeling tears sting behind her now closed eyelids, "I'll come in two days or something? I need to figure out a place to have all my stuff."

"Okay, we'll be looking forward to seeing you, darling."

"You too, mom." Sharpay breathed, hanging up her phone. Troy immediately came up to her and wrapped his arms around her, as he saw tears in her eyes. She hugged him tightly, letting her head rest on his chest, "What's up?"

"My parents are selling their house, and I need to clean both me and Ry's rooms." Sharpay explained, looking into his deep ocean eyes.

"Oh no.. Will you be okay?" Troy asked, stroking his finger across her cheek, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No…" Sharpay giggled, "No, that's silly."

"Why's it silly?" Troy asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"Cause I'm a grownup and I can handle this by myself." Sharpay replied, "Thanks for the offer though."

"You're welcome." Troy replied, thinking to himself, that he was gonna go with her, whether she liked it or not. He just had to find a way to convince her to let him.

**--**

The next morning Troy awoke to a sound asleep Sharpay next to him. He smiled to himself. Sharpay was dressed in one of Troy's old basketball jerseys and basketball shorts. Yet, he still thought she looked beautiful. Troy planted a soft kiss on Sharpay's cheek and she groaned. "Time to wake up, sweetie," he said and ran a hand through her hair.

"Mmmm..." Sharpay muttered.

"Okay, but I was going to take you shopping today," he said, sending Sharpay shooting up.

"Shopping?" Sharpay asked, raising an eyebrow and Troy laughed at how cute she looked.

"Yes. Shopping. Now get dressed." Sharpay scrambled to find the one pair of clothes she had packed and ran into the bathroom. After many minutes, she emerged from the bathroom dressed in a pink baby doll top and dark blue jeans.

"You look great," Troy said. Sharpay smiled.

"I know," she replied. Troy laughed. "Now let's go!" She slipped on some pink flip-flops and grabbed her purse. Troy shook his head, grabbed his wallet and followed Sharpay out to his car.

Once they arrived into the busiest part of Albuquerque, Troy parked the car, and they both stepped out. Sharpay paused to breathe in the fresh air, but quickly began walking to her favorite store with Troy right behind her.

After an hour of shopping, Troy was sick of it. "Come on, Troy!" Sharpay said, pushing him into another store.

"Sharpay!" he said. "Can we just take a break? Look, there's an ice cream place right over there." He pointed over to a small ice cream shop across the street and Sharpay sighed.

"Fine," she said and they walked over to the shop, shopping bags in hand.

Once they arrived and both ordered milkshakes, Troy sat them down at a table. "Pay, why won't you let me go clean out your house with you?" he asked, a slightly hurt expression on his face.

"I told you, Troy. I need to do this on my own," she said, stirring her milkshake with her straw.

"But why?" he asked with a frustrated sigh.

"I have to grow up. I have to do this by myself. I can handle it."

"But what if you can't!" Sharpay looked up at him.

"Will you stop bugging me if I let you come?" she asked and sighed.

"Yes!" he said, smiling. Sharpay couldn't resist Troy's perfect smile.

"Fine. You can come," she said and he gave her a kiss.

**A/N: Tis me, Paige, again. Okay. Chapter 7, finished! Woo! So, please, please, please, review. Thanks. : )**


	9. The Cleaning of the Rooms

A/N: Paige again (I'm writing a lot of these lately! xP). Thanks for the reviews... blah, blah, blah... you know. The usual.

Chapter 8

"Pay... Wake up," Troy said, shaking his girl friend gently.

"M.." Sharpay muttered, slapping his hand away.

"Okay, but I'm going to Starbucks without you," he teased. He knew

Starbucks was her favorite place to go and with that comment, her head shot up.

"Starbucks?" she asked with sudden interest.

"Sure. Now let's go or we're not going to have enough time to clean out your house."

"Oh yeah," Sharpay said, rubbing her eyes. She threw on a t-shirt, jean shorts, and flip flops before running a brush through her hair. "Ready," she said with a smile. Troy couldn't help but notice how pretty she was, even with only casual clothes on.

"Let's go then," he said, slipping his hand into hers. They walked outside and drove to Sharpay's old house.

Once there, Sharpay felt tears well up in her eyes. She hadn't visited her house ever since Ryan passed away and just seeing it brought back memories. Troy squeezed her hand after noticing her teary eyes and she smiled sadly at him.

"Ready?" he asked softly and she simply nodded. They walked inside and Sharpay lead him to her room.

"Well... this is... was.. my room," Sharpay corrected herself. The walls we a light pink color and on the right wall was a door with a star on it which read "Sharpay". Troy couldn't help but smile at how much this room resembled the used-to-be ice queen. Her bed had a white fluffy comforter and Troy slowly made his way over to it and sat down, careful not to mess up the sheets.

"I'm assuming we're starting with your room," he said and Sharpay, still on the opposite end of the room nodded.

"We'll start with my clothes," she said and opened her closet door. Inside, the clothes were color coded and went from pink to white. Tons of shoes were scattered on the floor and Sharpay smiled. Troy walked over to her and peered inside the closet.

"You have a lot of clothes," he said, stating the obvious.

"Of course. I was the ice queen once, you know," she said. He nodded.

"Do any of your old clothes still fit?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. Sharpay shrugged.

"I'm not sure." She held up a pink tank top to her slender body and smiled. "Still fits. I guess I don't grow that much." Troy laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"You've always been short," he said and Sharpay playfully hit him.

"That's not funny! I have a disease!"

"Maybe I shouldn't get near you. Does it spread? I'd hate to be turned into a midget," Troy teased, removing himself from her.

"Shut up Troy," Sharpay said with a giggle. She never knew they'd be having so much fun at her house. Maybe that's just because she had been prepared for the worst. But, the worst was yet to come. They hadn't even seen Ryan's room yet.

"Hey!" Sharpay spoke with realization. "You never took me to Starbucks!" Troy shook his head and smiled.

"Is that all you ever think about?" he asked, reconnecting himself with her.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, it is." She nodded. "So are we going to go or what?" Sharpay began to head for the door.

"Not so fast Pay," he said, gently taking hold of her wrist. She spun around to face him. "You know we haven't finished here." Sharpay looked at the floor.

"I know," she said, sadly. Then looked back up at him. "Are you ready?" she asked, voice quiet.

"Whenever you are," Troy replied. Sharpay started down the hall, Troy's hand in hers. They stopped once they got to a light blue door with a sign on it which read, "Ryan's Room" in his messy hand writing. Troy could almost feel Sharpay's heart breaking but his whispered words of encouragement in her ear and she slowly opened the door.

Sharpay let out a deep gasp the minute his room came into view. She was kinda glad that her parents weren't home at moment. They'd be there later though, she knew that. but having them around, would have been harder, than having her hand tucked safely into Troy's. there was something so calm about him, that even though she was sad about seeing all Ryan's stuff lying around the room, the way he left them when they left for college, she could still smile and remember all the good times.

She let go of Troy's hand and sat down on Ryan's bed, taking in the feel of the comforter. She remembered coming in to buck with him at nights when she heard thunder, or when she'd had a bad dream. His bed was always open for her, and having his arms wrapped around her calmed her more than anything in the entire world.

She moved her hands across the bed, feeling the soft material, as her eyes wandered around the room. His desk was full of pencils, papers and books. His plasma TV was full of dust, and on the walls were hinging pictures of them together, along with some of his friends. She let her tears fall slowly, and turned to look at Troy, who hadn't said or done anything.

He shot her a sad smile, and sat down next to her, wrapping his strong arms around her. She nuzzled her face into his neck, letting her tears fall. She needed to get it out, and then she could work better after. She knew that. It was hard for her, and having Troy there was really relaxing her.

"You better now, Pay?" Troy whispered, kissing his head.

She pulled back slightly and shot him another sad smile, "Yeah, much. Thanks Troy. We better get done. I want to do Ryan's now. I want to keep some of his stuff, but all his clothes can we give to the Church, and they can give it to whoever."

"That's a great idea." Troy said, "I'll go downstairs and find some boxes to put it in. Don't you think your mom and dad left some for you?"

"In the kitchen, perhaps." Sharpay smiled, as they stood up, "I'm just gonna go through all his old books while you pick them up, 'kays?"

"'Kays." Troy laughed, moving down the stairs, trying to keep himself cheering. He stopped when he reached the end of the stairwell though, because he came face to face with Mr. Evans, "Oh… Hi sir." He mumbled, blushing slightly.

"Troy Bolton." Mr. Evans said, arching an eyebrow, he had not forgotten how this boy had hurt his daughter back when they were still young, "What are you doing here?"

"Cleaning Ryan's room with Sharpay, sir." Troy said, extending his hand, which Mr. Evans shook, "I was just looking for some boxes for all Ryan's clothes."

"In the kitchen," Mr. Evans replied, "But could you come with me a minute, I need to speak to you?"

Troy knew it could be dangerous, Mr. Evans was a guy who took very much care of his daughter. Troy remembered being slightly afraid of him back when him and Sharpay first started dating. He knew he had to go with him though, so he nodded, wanting to be on his good side. They continued into Mr. Evans' old office, which was now also almost empty.

"I just need a word with you." Mr. Evans explained, "I'm getting older, I had kids at a quite old age. I already lost my son, and since you're now… dating my daughter, I need to know you will take good care of her. I can still remember how things ended between you too, and I don't want her to get hurt."

"I would never dream of hurting her." Troy quickly said, and he really meant it, "I was a kid back then… I was stupid. But I love your daughter, and I know she has been through a lot, losing her brother. I will stand by her side, if she want me to, sir. I can't imagine myself with someone else than Sharpay."

"That's good to know." Mr. Evans said, moving towards the only furniture left in the room, and old desk. He opened the first drawer, and took out a little box, "My wife and I originally wanted Ryan to have this, since he's the son. It's the family engagement ring, and the son always gives it to his new wife, so it will stay in the Evans name." He held out the little black box, opening it to reveal a fine ring with a big white stone, "But since we do not have a son any longer, I figured our daughter should have it, though it'll be a Bolton ring from now on, then."

Troy's jaw hit the floor. That ring was so beautiful, and it would fit Sharpay's hand perfectly. And he who had thought Mr. Evans was about to kill him. This was so unexpected, but he felt so honoured. This was amazing. He admitted it, he had thought about proposing to Sharpay soon, because he didn't want to wait, but getting such a beautiful ring for free, was something he'd never thought would happen.

"I take it you are thinking about marrying my daughter, right?" Mr. Evans continued, closing to box with a smack.

"Yeah," Troy quickly said, locking eyes with the older man, "Yes, of course. I mean, wow… That ring is amazing. Sharpay is gonna love it."

"Only the best for my sweetie." Mr. Evans said, pushing the box into Troy's hands, "And I expect the wedding to be soon, Bolton, 'cause I want to be there to send my sweet pa off, before I die."

Troy just nodded, plans of a possibly proposal floating in his brain.

--

Sharpay had made two piles with stuff, when Troy entered the room again, his arms full of boxes, that just needed to be unfolded, and then they'd have plenty of room. One of the piles was quite large, and he suspected that was the one with stuff they'd throw out or give away. The other pile was smaller, and it held a lot of personal things. Pictures, old drawings, and stuff he made in woodcraft at school. She's also decided to safe all his old DVD's and CD's, he could tell.

She looked up, and actually seemed quite cheery now, "Hi, what took you so long?"

"I had a quick talk with your father." Troy just said, letting his fingers brush quickly over the box in his jeans pocket, "Here are your boxes. Should I just throw all his clothes in it?"

"Fold it nicely." Sharpay told him, her eyes getting big, "And then the Church can figure out what they want and they can throw the rest of it out. I need a box to all the stuff we're taking with us, and all the stuff we're throwing out, are going down on dad's trailer. He can drive it to wherever he want it."

"Okay," Troy replied, unfolding a stack of boxes, and then started to place Ryan's clothes into the boxes, "After this, we're doing your room, right?"

"Of course." Sharpay smiled, closing the box safely, "There's a lot more stuff in there that I want to keep. Maybe I should keep a lot of my old clothes too, until I pick all my stuff up at the dorm."

Troy paused and turned to look at her, "Does this mean you're moving in with me for real?"

She paused too and locked eyes with him, "I guess it does."

"That's great!" Troy cheered, "But what about work and money? We're both only half done with college."

"You can finish yours, and I'll see if I can get a job at East High." Sharpay said.

Troy wrinkled his brow, confused, "As what?"

"The drama teacher, duh." Sharpay just said.

"You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?" Troy asked, laughing

on the inside. He only needed about a half year of college, and then he could

move back too and get a job, and they could be a happy family. Have some kids and live happily ever after.

"The last few days…" Sharpay whispered, moving over to stand in front of him, "I just want to be with you, Troy. And teaching at East High will make me feel closer to Ryan. Is that okay?"

"It's more than okay." Troy assured her, pulling her head in for a kiss, as his fingers once again brushed over the black box in his jeans pocket. He wanted to propose to this gorgeous woman, and make sure she was his. And he wanted to do it soon.

A/N – Stessa here! I'm finally leaving one of these, lol. The next chapter will be the last, and we hope you enjoyed this chapter too. Remember to leave us a review, please? It means the world to the both of us.


	10. The Engagement

**A/N – Stessa here! Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews.**

Chapter 9

Sharpay looked around the room, a happy smile on her face. Everything was finally settled. It was two weeks since she and Troy had cleaned out Ryan's room, and her own too of course. Two days ago she had picked up her stuff at the dorm and had a teary goodbye with May, promising to keep in touch, and now she had unpacked everything, and made a few changes in Troy's house, which all turned out quite good.

She could actually picture herself living here, now. It had needed a woman's touch, no doubt about that, but it was kinda cosy and great now. They shared his bedroom, which she loved, and the kitchen was great too. She could picture herself cooking dinner for Troy there, and them snuggling together beneath a blanket on the couch in the living room.

She had decorated a wall with pictures from her old room, and a from Ryan's too, her beauty products were placed among his stuff in the bathroom, and her clothes were placed in the closet he had cleared out for her. A picture Ryan had painted in the second grade, was hinging in the kitchen, because she believed the colors matched best out there, even though his picture pretty much was a mess of different colors, though she knew it was supposed to be him and her dancing.

Troy hadn't said much about it, but she knew he didn't hate it. He told her she should do everything to make the house hers as well, since she was going to be living there. It wasn't just his now, it was hers as well.

She sighed happily and stole one last glance at Ryan's picture before leaving the kitchen. She had to go get ready, because Troy was taking her out tonight. She had no idea what he was up to, be he'd told her to dress up fancy and get ready for some delicious food. She couldn't wait to see what it was. It was important, she knew that, because he looked serious when he told her this morning before he left for his parents' house.

She picked out a simple black dress, because she knew she could pull everything off, and black dresses made her look older and more sophisticated, which she liked. She hurried into the shower, which was combiner to their bathroom. It was really cool, because they had one downstairs as well, for guests and such.

She showered, letting the hot water wash all her worries away. She had really started to feel better after they had cleaned out Ryan's room. She believed it was closure, and it helped her move on for now. she would still remember Ryan, but she was through being sad all the time. from now on, she'd remember him and the good time. when they'd laughed, and danced, and had fun.

She stepped out of the shower, and toweled off, looking at her naked form in the mirror. She was just as tanned and thin as when she was in high school. She shaved and put lotion on, hoping that tonight would be memorable. She kinda had the feeling it would, she just didn't know exactly how.

She put on her dress, and did her hair and makeup, looking at the clock every minute to check that she wasn't late. Troy had told her, he'd pick her up after having been at his mom and dad's, and then they'd head straight out. She still had 15 minutes, enough time to get her purse together and find her black heels.

She did so, and went outside, waiting by the front door, for Troy to come. When he finally did, she locked the door, and got into his car, greeting him with a quick kiss on the mouth, "Hi."

"Hi Pay."

"Where are you taking me?" Sharpay asked, buckling up.

"It's a surprise," Troy mumbled, "But I'm glad you're dressed up like that. And you look good."

"Thank you." Sharpay smiled, giving him the once over too, "So do you."

He was actually wearing a tux. Not a really fancy one, but he had on a tie and fancy dress pants. They were going someplace expensive, otherwise he wouldn't have been looking like that, she knew that.

She couldn't wait to see what would happen later on in the evening.

--

Once they were in the car, Troy demanded that Sharpay kept her eyes closed.

"But why?" Sharpay pouted, eye closed slightly.

"It's a surprise. You'll like it," he said, grinning. He let his hand brush against his pocket to make sure the small box was still there. It was.

"Fiiiine," Sharpay said with a sigh, and let her eyes close all the way.

Soon, the car stopped in front of a fancy restaurant.

"You can open your eyes now, Pay," Troy said. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes and a smile lit up her whole face.

"Troy! You shouldn't have!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him.

"You deserve it," he said, returning the hug. "Now, let's go." He got out of the car and opened Sharpay's door for her. They both walked into the restaurant, fingers entwined.

Since Troy had made a reservation, they were seated quickly and pondered for a while about what to order. When their food came, the conversation began. They talked about simple things, celebrities, careers, and food. Once they had both finished eating and Troy had insisted on paying the bill, Troy knew it was time.

"I want to show you something," he said. He took Sharpay's hand and lead her behind the restaurant where a picnic blanket, a radio, and some candles were set up.

"This is so pretty!" Sharpay exclaimed clasping a hand over her mouth.

"There's one more thing," Troy said. He got down on one knee in front of her and it all clicked in Sharpay's mind. Tears formed in her eyes.

"Sharpay Evans, you are the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm so glad you decided to go to that reunion, because if you didn't, I would've never gotten to know you so much better than I ever did before. You're the most beautiful person I've ever met and I love you with all of my heart. Will you marry me?"

Troy pulled the small velvet box out of his pocket and showed her the beautiful ring. Sharpay recognized it immediately. He saw the confusion on her face and explained. "Your father wanted me to give this ring to you when I proposed so It'd stay in your family." Sharpay nodded simply. "So, will you marry me?"

Unable to speak, Sharpay knelt down next to him and wrapped her arms around him. She moved her lips to his ear and whispered, "Of course I will. I love you." A smile lit up Troy's face and he pulled away from Sharpay enough so he could slip the shimmering ring on her finger. Sharpay held her hand out in front of her face and admired the beautiful diamond.

With his free hand, Troy turned on the radio and 'Keep Holding On' by Avril Lavigne flooded through the speakers.

"It's our song," Sharpay said, softly. Troy nodded. They had claimed it their song after they danced to it. Their first slow dance as a couple.

"May I have this dance?" Troy asked, standing up. Sharpay let a giggle escape her lips and nodded.

"Always," she said standing up as well. She gently placed her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. It was then that they both knew there was never a moment as perfect as right then.

**A/N: Paige here. That was the last real chapter! So sad, I know: (. But, no worries! An epilogue will be coming your way soon!**


	11. Epilogue

**A/N – Stessa here. This is the final epilogue. Enjoy, please? The we're**

**using in this chapter is by Miley Cyrus, it's called "I Miss Yo**u".

Epilogue

She couldn't believe it had happened today. She was so confused with

happiness that she didn't know what to do with herself as her mom and May

ran around her, trying to fix her hair, her dress, her makeup and her

jeweleries. She didn't understand why they were doing this, it was all

happening so fast.

She felt like she just got out of the Church, and now they were making fixing

her up again, so she could look all fresh and clean after crying her eyes out

during the ceremony. Troy was right outside the door, so they could get a

moment, before entering the wedding reception.

Sharpay had finally had enough, so she pushed her mom and May out of the

door, and let Troy enter, locking it safely behind her. He stopped, and once

again looked at her. He loved her appearance. She looked so beautiful today,

it was unbelievable. But then again, believable, because she was Sharpay

Evans, pardon, Sharpay Bolton.

"Hi…" she whispered, reaching her hand out to take his.

"Hey…" he said back, and he couldn't stop smiling, as he pulled her

closer, and wrapped his arms tightly around her, hugging her, "Are you okay?

I mean… with everything going on, and Ryan not being here?"

"It's weird." Sharpay admitted, "The whole family hasn't been

together since he died. And I only think it's fair if we take a moment to

remember him. Is that okay with you?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Troy just questioned, lightly kissing her

lips, "What do you plan on doing, Mrs. Bolton?"

"I plan on singing." Sharpay replied, pulling away from him, and grabbing

something behind her back, "That's why I brought this!" she told him and

held up her guitar.

Troy just chuckled and linked his hand with hers. This was by far the best

day of his life.

--

Sharpay lowered her microphone, and steadied herself on the chair once again,

before softly speaking to all her guests: "Hi!" she told them, and giggled

slightly, "I wanna thank you all for coming. Now that we've been eating,

and dancing, I think it's time to remember all the people who couldn't be

here today."

She locked eyes with her mom, and then her dad, before continuing:

"My twin brother Ryan died some time ago, and I know he would have loved to

be here today. I think it's only right to remember him. I wrote a song for

him back then, and I've never showed it to anyone. I think it's time to

change that. It's called 'I Miss You'."

She slowly started playing her guitar, and singing the lyrics that had made

her cry so many times before when she played the song for herself, silently

remembering her dear brother.

"Sha la la la la

Sha la la la la

You used to call me your angel

Said I was sent straight down from heaven

You'd hold me close in your arms

I loved the way you felt so strong

I never wanted you to leave

I wanted you to stay here holding me

I miss you

I miss your smile

And I still shed a tear

Every once in a while

And even though it's different now

You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go

And I need you to know

I miss you, sha la la la la

I miss you.

You used to call me your dreamer  
And now I'm living out my dream  
Oh how I wish you could see  
Everything that's happening for me  
I'm thinking back on the past  
It's true that time is flying by too fast 

I miss you

I miss your smile

And I still shed a tear

Every once in a while

And even though it's different now

You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go

And I need you to know

I miss you, sha la la la la

I miss you.

I know you're in a better place, yeah  
But I wish that I could see your face, oh  
I know you're where you need to be  
Even though it's not here with me

I miss you

I miss your smile

And I still shed a tear

Every once in a while

And even though it's different now

You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go

And I need you to know

I miss you, sha la la la la

I miss you."

She finished her song, with a smile on her lips, and people applauded her.

She then cleared her throat and spoke again... "Thanks for listening. And

yeah, just have fun everyone! Troy and I love you all!" With that, she made her way over to the table where Troy had been seated.

"Hey Pay," Troy greeted her, the same old nickname still sending chills down her spine. "You were amazing."

"Thanks," Sharpay answered, seating herself next to him. "You know, I never in a million years would've imagined us here, married now. And yet, I know I'd never want to share this moment with anyone else."

"Me neither," Troy agreed, snaking an arm around her small waist.

Soon, a voice could be heard across the room. "Time for the bride and groom to cut the cake!" Sharpay looked at Troy and he shrugged.

"Why don't people warn us about these things?" she muttered and Troy laughed. They stood up and made their way over to the table with a large cake on top of it. After preparing themselves, they each cut a piece of the wedding cake and lots of pictures were taken of Troy and Sharpay laughing after they smudged frosting on each other's noses.

That's how the rest of the night went. They danced, talked with old friends and family and took pictures, so this night was to be remembered forever. No one would ever want to forget such a perfect night, and no one ever would.

"Bridge! You're gonna miss the school bus!" a 34 year old called up the stairs to her daughter who was off to her first day of 3rd grade.

"I don't wanna go mom. I wanna stay here with you and dad!" she cried, now appearing at the top of the staircase.

"Sweetie, you have to go. You know your father and I will be home today. You can always ask the teacher to call if you need something." The 7 year old blond raced down the stairs and into her mother's arms. Mrs. Bolton wrapped her arms around her little girl and smiled.

"Sharpay, Bridgette, everything okay?" a male of 35 entered the room, a worried look on his face. After hearing yelling, he had come into the room to find out what happened. Sharpay smiled at her husband and sighed.

"Everything's fine, Troy," she promised. "Bridgette here is just a little afraid to start 3rd grade." The small girl who had gotten her blond hair and brown eyes from her mother, looked up at Troy who smiled in response.

"What did I tell you before Bridge?" he asked, bending down to her level. "Be yourself. You're a nice, cheery girl, I'm sure your teachers and classmates will love you."

"Thanks dad," she said, after letting go of her mother. She wrapped her arms around his torso and he grinned before hugging her back.

"Call if you need anything," he reminded her, handing her a pink flowered lunch box. She nodded and ran out the door to greet the school bus.

"How do you do it?" Sharpay asked, turning to face her husband.

"I guess I just have a gift," he said with a shrug. She giggled causing him to smile. Troy would do anything to make her laugh.

"You'll have to teach me that one sometime," she commented, moving to the living room. He nodded and followed after her.

After their wedding, Sharpay found the job she wanted as the drama teacher for East High and Troy became the basketball coach, causing them to be able to work side by side. East High's start of school had had to delay the first day of school because of the new addition that was being put on, leaving Troy and Sharpay home alone while their daughter, Bridgette, went to school for a week.

They sat next to each other on a couch in the simple yet cozy room. Troy wrapped his arm around Sharpay's shoulders and Sharpay snuggled closer to him.

"I love you," he whispered and Sharpay smiled.

"Love you too," she replied softly. "Always will."

And from then on Troy and Sharpay lived a perfect life together. Who knew how much happiness could come out of one reunion? They sure did.

**A/N: Paige here, saying a last goodbye. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, we love you all. : ). Also, make sure to check out both mine and Stessa's other stories as well, we have some good stuff, I assure you. : ). That's all for now.**

**Toodles.**


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